Method of and curved fingers for compensating discharge for bricksetters



Feb. 17, 1925. 1,526,993

Y G. E. LUCE METHOD OF AND GURVED FINGERS FOR COMPENSATING DISCHARGE FOR BRICKSETTERS Filed July '7, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Feb. 1.7, 1925, 1,526,993

. G. E. LUCE METHOD OF AND CURVED FINGERS FOR COMPENSATING DISCHARGE FOR BRICKSETTERS 4 Filed July '2. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 17, 1925. Y 1,526,993

G. E. LUCE uE'raon oF Aun cunvsn FINGERS Fon couPENsATm-G DISCHARGE F011v nroxsnr'mns Filemulyv. 192:5 :s sheets-sheet s 2 o o I J o i i .16' I 1.5' l 9 o o d I 'nl I 1.9

1/ aan, Cl 4* ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1925,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

GRAFTON E'. LUCE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD oF AND CURvED FINGERS rola CoMrENsATING DISCHARGE Fon :BRICK- sE'r'rnns.

Application led July 7,

To all 'whom it may concern:

Beit known thatI I, GRAFTON E. LUCE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in -the county of Cook and State l of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Methods of and Curved Fingers for Compensating Discharge for Bricksetters, of which the followingr descriptiom in connect-ion withthe accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention relates to a method of operating a brick setter and to an improved apparatus for practicing said meth- 0d whereby the movement of the brick holding fingers intheir forward and rearward motion with respect to a pile or stack of bricks is compensated for.

In my improved brick setting;r machine,

described and claimed in my copendiner application, Serial No. 259,770,iiled Oct. 26,

1918, I have described and claimed an improved apparatus for mechanically setting bricks arranged in piled or stacked relation in a kiln or withdrawing: such piles or stacks from a kiln at the completion or the burning` operation, and in connection with said brick setting apparatus I have utilized -a suspension device for a brick-setting crane, such crane being of new and novel construetion and is described and claimed in detail in my copen'ding application, Serial No.

636,675, sled May 4, 1923.

In developing` the brick setting apparatus of` the above identified application, diffi- -culty was experienced in successfully withdrawing the brick lifting fingers from, or inserting such fingers beneath, a pile or stack of brick, whether in the kiln or on the loadin car, there being a pronounced tendency on the part of the fingers to dragr `on the lower surface of the brick with which' association with one sideor en'd of the stack apparatus above referred to, the brick lift-` 1923. Serial No. 650,160.

of bricks. Without very careful manipulation on the party of the operator, there was no preliminary or subsequent vertical movement of the fingers as a unit with respect to the pile or stack of brick with the result that, in inserting the fingers of the lifting device beneath a stack of brick, cach brick was brought successively into Contact with the fingers as they were pushed beneath the pile of brick and remained in such position and this operation was reversed after the pile of brick was positioned and the ngers withdrawn from beneath such pile or Stack with the result that, where the lower courses of brick in the stack escaped injury. yet there was liability of the entire stack being disarranged because of the friction existingr between the lower courses of brick and the fingers of the lifter.

To obviate the objectionable features above pointed out and to make it possible for the brick apparatus to be successfully operated by relatively unskilled labor, I have designed the subject matter of the present invention wherein I do not touch the bottom courses of brick in a pile or stack of brick arranged in hacked relation until ready to lift such pile or stack `and also wherein the pile or stack, having been placed in position in a kiln or other situation, I immediately withdraw the lifting device out of engagement with the bottomA courses of brick and this method of operation is successfully carried out by swinging a lifting device on a curved line intov position beneath a stack of brick and reversing` this operation when the lifting device is to bevr withdrawn.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is an improved method of operating a brick setter. Y

v Another object of `my invention is an improved apparatus for operating the lifting fingers of a brick setter.

Other objects and features `of the con- `9B struction and arrangement of parts of my` improved inventionwill be apparent as the description of the .invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawlngs illustrat- .ing the preferred embodiment of my appai ratns and by n10a11s of which 1110 improved 1110111011 n1av 110 practiced.

Fig. `1 :1 side 0101'a1i1111 showing.r the lingers of the l1r10k 5101101' in normal posi- 111111 when supporting :1 load 111' bricks:

l"if f. 2 1s :111 01111 0leva1i11n 111' F111'. 1 on 1110 11110 '2--'. 111::1101111g11r0;

F111'. Il is :1 \01'1;i1'al sertional 1110 010111111111 11n 1110. 11110 1-3 of Fig. Q;

191.3'. l is :1 `i110 elevation. partly in s00- 111111. 1111 1110 11110 4-1 111 Fig'. L. :1nd

1"i 5 is .1 111:111 \i0\\' showing 1110 various positions 111 1110 1111111 in 11111 :11111 dash lines'.

llrlerrine' 111 1110 1lr:1\\'111;;'s. 111 designates :1 4s111111111'11110' 1'1'111110 s1 1'111'11110 provided front :11111 rrar 11'1111 .sha 11s 11 :11111 1; 1'0sp01-1i1'0l11'. 1110 1 shal'ls 110111; 111'111'111011 1111 1l10i1' 11111111' 01111.-' with sl110v0s 13 111'01' 11'1111'11 1'1111 rableS 11 1'1'11111 any s1111able 111111111. sur'u as that shown :1111l d -11'1l1011 in 111)' 011110111111111' appli- 1':11i11n. 5011111 No. 119111.11171. 111011 )lay 1. 1923, :1111110y 1'01'01'1011 111. r1`h0 right 11111111 01111 of 1111s 1`ran10 11101111101' 10 :11111 at 1110. top and 11111111111 11101'0111 is 111'111'111011 with short sha 11S 1:'1 11111011 art as pi1'o1al nxoilntings 'lorlhe forward 01111 111` s1r11ts or supports'. 111 that 1'111'111 prarlirallv a l'our point suspension means 1111' 111e frame 11) in 111e manner d0- srribed 111 u1 111111011111111! application above referred 111. (ln 1110 top of the '11'an10 m0111- ber is se111r011 by' bolts 1T :1 spider 1S provided :1t 11s 111111 portion 19 with a roll0r bearing '20 n'hirh l'or1ns th0 top bearing for a Vertical shaft 21. 11`orn1e1l integral with 1110 l'ran'ie 11101111101' 111 and exlending from the rear wall th0r011f outwardly 1o :1 pointI beneath the hub l1) of the spider 1S is a supporting' plat-0 '22 which has f11r1n011 1111'0- gral 1l1cr0wi1h :11111 extending;1 upwardly 1l10re1ro111 a 11u11 portion Q3 provided wi1l1 a 1'111101' bearing 24 in vertical alim-ment with the roller bearing Q0 :1nd this roller bearing 24 1'111'111s 1110 lower bearing 1'111' 111e vertical sha 1`t 21. T110 sha 1'1 Q1 0x10ndsI 1o a point 11011111' 1110. 111111 2-1 :11111 has s01'1u0d 1o its 11111'01' 0nd :1 11111110 st1'u1'111r0 25. :1 111rus1 bearing 211 being' 1'111'111011 l10tw00n the 11111'01' porlion of tl10 111111 21 :11111 the upper 1'111'0 111` :1n enlargement QT on the frame structure 25. as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Splined to the shaft 21 between the bearings 20 :1nd 24 is :1 11111128 having formed integral therewilh radially extendingr arms Q1) :11111 011 the 0nd o1 the arms 29 is formed the rim 30. rIhis ri1n is adapted to rotate adjacent a circular riin 31 formed in 111e frame member 10 and 11n the upper surface ofthe rim 31 is formed a hall rare in operative r01ation to the co1'- responding 11:111 race in the lower face of the rni :1nd between these two ball rares is provided :1 plurality of antifrietion balls 32. Secured to the upper face of 111e ri1n 30 is a circular rack 33, the length of this rack beingr greater than 180o or arc, and meshing with this circular rack 33 `is a 1101'01 pinion 34 secured to the inner end of :1. Shaft $15 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 111 1110v frame member l0. Secured 1o 1110l shal't 35 int0rn1edia10 11s ends is :1 ;'0ar 1G that n10sl10s in, :11111 is driven by, :1 pinion IST shown in 1111111111 lines 111 F115. 2, this bevel 1111111111 being :111:11'11011 L11 :1 shalt :3S rotatably 1111111111011 in suilable bearings 111 111e 1`1'an1e 111011111111' 11).:11111 parall0l to 1110 `sha 1'1 35. The sha 11'. 3S has` se1'11r01l 111 11s 1111101' 0nd :1 l1e1'01 110:11' 39 which meshes with. and is driven by, a bevel pinion 40 secured to the shaft 41 1'o1a1abl)y mounted parallrl 111 the shafts 35 :11111 38 and 111 suitable bearings 111 the lfralne member l0, 1111s shaft 4l 11:11'- in e1r secured 011 11s inn0r end a 110:11' 42 111:11: mes-110s with. :11111 is driven by, a pinion 43 secured to the end 111' the drive shat'l o1 a 111111111' 44 s0cur0d 1o the platform 22 in any suitable manner. The train of gearing 4.3, 4'2, 40, 89, 3T, 36 constitutes :1 reduction rearingl between 111e bevel pinion 34 and the n1otor 44. Suitable wiring extending to conlrol mechanism is provided for the 111otor 44, 11111 as surh wiring1f and control m001111- nisln are no1'. ess0ntial to the understanding' of the present invention, they :1re not illustrated and will not be desrribed.

The frame structure 25 extends outwardly and downwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 9., from the enlargement 27, and secured to7 or formed' integral with, the downwardly and outwardly extending portions are 1111110 frames 45, there being two of such guide frames 45 spaced apart from, and parallel to, each other :1nd the forward 01111 111 the guide frames terminates in :1 vertical plane in which is also located a downwardly 0xtending bracket 46 that is secured to the rim 34 by bolts 47. Secured to the front et the bracket 4T :1nd to the front ends of the guide frames 45 and extending entirely across and beyond the sides o1' the frame 1110111ber l0 is a platel 48, the dimensions of this plate being slightly greater than the dimensions of one wall of a stack or pile of bricks arranged in hacked relation. The guide frames 45 are slightly curved upwardly from the joining point thereof with the plate 48 to the other end, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and on the top and bottom surface of such guide frames are formed tracks 49 for a purpose to 11e hereinafter described. Formed on the under side of each of thc guide frames 45, parallel with each other and with the track 49, is a rack 50. A

51 designates a plate having secured to either end thereof and outside of the guide frames 45 side plates 52 and in such side plates 52 at each 11nd thereof and top and bottom are secured stub shafts 53 on which shafts are rotatably mounted the pulleys 54 which engage with the tracks 49 on the top and bottom surfaces of the guide frames 45. Rotatably mounted in suitable bearings meshing with the racks -lower front stub shafts 53 isa shaft 55 near each end of which is secureda pinion 56 50 vand Secured to said shaft adjacent the pinion 56 at the left hand side thereof,as.v1ewed in Fig. 2, is a worm wheel 57 ywhich meshes with, and is driven b aworm 58 formed on the shaft 59 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings on the plate 51. Secured tothe end of the shaft 55 is a bevel gear 60 which meshes with and is driven by, abevel pinion 61 secured to the end of the drivin a motor 63 that is secured on t e top of the plate 51 in any suitable manner. The motor 63 is provided with suitable connections leading to a source of power and to a control device within reach of the operator, but as these form no' part of the present in vention, they have not been illustrated and will not be, described. v

Formed on the front end of the plate 51 and depending downwardly and forwardly therefrom is a member 64 to which is secured the rear end of a wardly extending lparallel ing fingers 65 the length of less than the width of a stack of bricks arran d in hacked relation as clearly shown in t e drawings.

. By properly controlling the motor 44, the

plurality of fory arranged liftwhich is slightl shaft 21 and all parts carried thereby may be rotated through an angle of approximately 180 with res ect to the frame 10, as clearly indicatedv y the dot and dash rectangles in Fig. 5, which dotted rectangles show various positions into which'a pile or stack of bricks arranged in hacked relation and desi ated by the numeral 66 may be moved. y roperly controlling the crane mechanism, tlie frame member 10 withthe rotatable shaft may be positioned in desired position relative to a pile or stack of bricks 66 with the plate 48 positioned firmly against a side or end wall of such stack or p1le of brick and by roperly controlling the motor 63, the plura ity of parallelly arranged fingers 65 may be moved into or out of osition with respect to such stack of bric s, as indicated by -the plurality 4of dotted outlines of such fingers 65 in Fig. 4, and it will be noted that, assuming the plate 51 carrying the lifting fingers 65 is to be moved into the osition shown in either of the Figs. 1 or 3 flfom the position shown in Fig. 4, such lifting fingers are never in engagement with the lower courses of brick of such pile or stack 66 until the forward end of the plate 51 comes into 'engagement with the rear face of the late 48 and that, if the above sequence og operations is reversed,

immediately the plate 51 with associated parts moves to the right lfrom the position shown in either Fig. 1 or 3, andthat the upward end ofthe lifting fingers drops shaft 62 of away from engagement with ythe 4lower courses of brick so that such li'fting'fingers are entirely disengaged from the brick throughpractically the entire withdrawing operation. Y

. While Ihave necessarily shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, itis to be understood that I'may vary the size, shape, andarrangement of parts comprising my invention .within wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is: 1. .The improved method of setting brick arranged in pilesor stacks which consists in taking a stack or pile of brick, placing the same in position in a kiln or other situation by lifting means, freeing the bottom of the stack from all-liftin meansand retaining the stack in position y pressure on its side or end wall until lthe lifting device has been entirely removed from beneath the stack.

2. An improved lifting and setting apparatus for ricks comprising a su port, an

y upwardly extending curved track t ereon, a

carriage mounted for movement on said tracks, and a plurality of lifting fingers carried by Said carriage.

3. An improved lifting and setting apparatus for bricks comprising a support, an upwardly extending curved track thereon, a carriage mounted for movement on said tracks, a plurality of lifting fingers carried by said carriage, and means for moving said carriage and attached lifting fingers longitudinally of said tracks.

4. In an improved lifting and setting apparatus, the combination of a support, a frame suspended from and rotatably mounted on said support, an upwardly extending curved track mounted on said frame, a carriage mouted for movement on said tracks, a plurality of forwardly extending fingers attached to said carriage, and means for moving said carriage and lifting fingers on said tracks whereby the ends of the fingers describe a curved path.

5. In an improved lifting and setting apparatus, the combination of a support, a frame suspended from and pivotally mounted on said support, an alining plate secured to the front of said frame, a pair of upwardly extending curved tracks mounted on either side of said frame and extending from the alining plate rearwardly, a carria e mounted for movement on said tracks, a p urality of forwardly extending fingers secured. to the front under side of said car-A riage, said carriage, when in its foremost position, holding said fingers horizontal andy with the major portion thereof extending s' forward of the alming plate, and means for moving said carriage and attached fingers on said tracks whereby the extreme forward ond of said lingers 1n then.' rearward Inovenlont describe n curved path.

6. In an improved lifting and setting apparatus, tlie combination of a support, a frame suspended from and rotatably mount-- ed on, said support, an alinng plate secured to the front end of Said support, a plurality of parallelly arranged lifting {ingersarranged beneath, and normally extending forward from, said alining plate, the top surface of said lifting fingers lying in a1 ,one

and means for moving said lifting fingers sunultaneously out of said plane and rear- Waldly, said means also holding said alinng plates ont of said first named plane during the entire rearward movement of the lingers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GRAFTON E. LUCE. 

